AHOY Pt. 2 POST SCRIPT

THIS VIDEO!

AHOY!

My dearest Morgan,

WELCOME BACK FROM JAPAN! Well, I know you got back like a month ago but still. I’ve missed you terribly — AND I HOPE/KNOW IT WAS ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. I can’t wait to hear all the things.

Me when I heard you were home.

Also, I realized we hadn’t posted to our blog in forever. Literally. So even though it’s reading days and I should be studying, I don’t care, I’m posting–because it was clearly ME who dropped the ball.

That said, I really don’t have much else to say besides I love you and hope your re-adjustment to MN life is going well.

BUT IT’S BEEN LIKE A YEAR SINCE MY LAST POST. HOW IS THERE NOT MUCH TO SAY?! True. But since I don’t have the time to be verbose — I’m just going to upload a fuck ton of photos and call it a day.

I’ve been lucky to have a lot of adventures this year. Here are some snazzy shots from them.

SUMMER: BRITISH COLUMBIA

   

   

WINTER: AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

SPRING: JOSHUA TREE, CA

   

 

 

“A JOURNEY IS LIKE A MARRIAGE. THE CERTAIN WAY TO BE WRONG IS TO THINK YOU  CONTROL IT.” — John Steinbeck

Now you’ve got to upload your adventure photos!!

Love,

Drewbie

Big News: Still Alive and Still in VT

Dear Drew,

THANK YOU for two glorious years of sharing a blog avec moi!!  And for your post commemorating our 2 year anniversary!

Dancin’ it out.

ANNNND– thank you for sharing Yehuda Halevi’s poem– it’s apparently never to late to find one’s all-time favorite poem.  It’s one I will return to often.

ANNNNNNNNNNND– thank you for your granyolo– that’s write AutoCorrect I didn’t mean just regular granola.  It’s DELICIOUS and I LOVE YOU.  Thank you.

I just checked out my ‘quotezz’ folder where I compile screenshots of various articles and, well, quotezz, and this one popped out to me:

Lao-Tzu: “If you try to change it, you will ruin it.  Try to hold it, and you will lose it.”

If anything, we’re two years away from living in Seattle together, no?  I like this plan very much.

No pics of Midd yet, then again I don’t think any photo/description could justly reflect both how beautiful and green it is here (and the perfect amount of breezy) and how this is LIT.ERALLY amazing me.  After our winter in MN, this is just like…ehh?  It can look/be/feel like this?!  I suppose it’s just been a long winter.

I’m feeling much better as I forgot I normally do after whatever I’m anxiously cursing about actually starts.  Funny that in less than 2 years college became something totally in my comfort zone and I completely forgot how to deal with being uncomfortable.  Less scared by the program I think I was just scared I was scared.  Surprisingly, it’s been a while.  Obviously I don’t generally like being scared but I’ve been in that little warm college-y nest for so long I can’t even deal with the prospect of doing something new?

Well, as I said, I’m feeling much better now.  I’m in a double and my roommate reminds me of my roommate Emma so I already feel at ease with her– even as if we’ve known each other for a while which is pretty cool.  I’ve met another girl named Morgan (who also really wants to find out more about the possible existence of a taiko drumming group within the Japanese school), and a number of other folks.  We just took the placement exam this morning and during breaks and lunchtime it has been fun to observe the range of ages and motivations for choosing Japanese amongst the students.

I sign the language pledge tomorrow and while I’ve been taking it lightly as it usually goes– I read the document I’ll need to sign and found it super inspiring!!  When I sign things like that I can’t help but feel…committed?  Of course I’ll be checking in with you but I hope to discipline myself to be as true to the pledge as possible!

Oooooo– on a completely different note– this was the site I poorly explained the other day!  It’s called “Call Me Ishmael.” Ishmael set up a phone number for people to call and share a story about a book they love/why they connected to the book.  He posts a video of every message and then based on confidential feedback/voting he also transcribes one message every day.

I love it.

Even if it’s a book I don’t know, or I can’t clearly hear what someone says– just hearing someone’s voice sharing something important to/struck them/stayed with them over the years is pretty cool.  Nerdy, huh?  Making CONNECTIONS #imafan.

Listening to the videos made me actually get up and try to look around for Guy Gavriel Kay’s Tigana, like…I even wanted to freaking call Ishmael!  Alas, I brought it to MN and didn’t bring it back with me.  That book came to mind immediately– it was the first book that introduced me to characters who were truly ‘in the grey.’

Fav stand-alone book EVA

It felt like so many of the fantasy books I’d read up to that point were set up with the whole good vs. evil premise, maybe some cut the bad guys some slack towards the end with some story about their past or something, but usually that was it.  Tigana on the other hand…holy cow.  Like HOLY COW.  The initial ‘bad’ guy remains the ‘bad’ guy but is it ‘bad’ to love him too?  Because I did.  Could it be okay to have someone/something be more complex than good or bad?  I’d say that it certainly made for a more enjoyable, powerful, and fulfilling experience reading Tigana.

What book(s) would you choose?  What would you say if you left a phone message?

Did I say I cried when I read the poem you posted?  I think I did.  It pulled on my heartstrings.  Apologies for the monkey-mind post– I’m everywhere– trying to get out all the English I can ;]

Okay.  I’m going to nap.  Packing super late is catching up with me.

Hope all is going well as you prepare for your summer adventure on Monday!!  Looking forward to your next post.

As always, many many thanks & much much love,

Mo

Le flu!

Oi, Morgan, you have come down with le flu! The worst! I hope you feel better soon. Remember to use lots of these…

…and drink lots of this (and don’t forget to pump that Vit C!)

Love love love, Drew

Ze, a YouTuber.

Strange. Hypnosis should have been included. Also: Ze Frank = amazing.

Moonrise (banana, nutella, chocolate crunch) Kingdom

Drew and I like to frequent a movie theater in town that’s a little run-down (despite its new funky pre-start-of-the-movie-opening…followed by a ‘find your closest exit’ slide that somehow wasn’t revamped…) and thus lovable in this time of mega-theater craziness. We often go there to see movies that are a little bit more indie, having diverged from the mainstream selection of the mega-theaters. (Though our small Bow Tie Theater (#2 reason of its awesomeness = ‘bow tie’ name) isn’t showing “No Safety Guaranteed” MAH!) Anywhos- wanted to let you know that I saw “Moonrise Kingdom” there a few days ago and it was an all-around awesommmme film.

It’s bound to be fantastic when Bob Balaban (see above [awks how I almost got him confused with Ron Rikfin, a.k.a. Sloane from “Alias,” side note: I’m crazy jealous those guys can pull off circular glasses]) is the narrator of the story. And really the first thing that clued me in should have been the fact that Wes Anderson was the director and writer, but this is the first film of his I’ve seen so now I’m in the loop.  Anywhos Drew, it’s this awesome story of love and uncommonly long-lasting bold blue eyeshadow, a wonderfully dysfunctional family and Edward Norton (Scout Master Ward) being a boss- I mean, look at his crew:

There’s my fav little guy, “Lazy Eye,” on the right.

Not only was the SCRIPT amazing and the CAST absolutely STELLAR- the SOUNDTRACK was CrAzY gOoD. (Note the use of crazy capitalization, if you would). Take a listen on grooveshark. Three tracks I keep listening to (when I’m not listening to the album all the way through) are Françoise Hardy’s “Le Temps de l’Amour,” Hank Williams’s “Ramblin’ Man,” and “Songs From Friday Afternoons, Op. 7: ‘Cuckoo!'” sung by the Choir of Downside School.

Alrighties, now it’s time to let Bill Murray take you around a bit…

So yah. Good movie. (A side note for your consideration: I’d definitely see it again.)

Cheerios.

Mo

PS- a note on this post’s title: beforehand- I split a banana, nutella, choco crunch crêpe (new choice on menu) with Fosta and mumziedearest. YUM.

PPS- spotted: Ron Swanson’s hat (or a young Ron?? hmm she’s more of a red head though…)

(Poor quality [apologies, but also you’re welcome] “Parks & Rec” reference video here.)

Dear Drew,

I didn’t have a hot dog today to celebrate July 4th.  Didn’t watch any fireworks or put on much red, white, or blue.  In fact, I wore my pjams all day, and the finale of Season 4 is loading in another window, i.e. I’ve been watching West Wing all day (so yes- my internet access is shaky but back).

Just saw 11:11 PM in the top right corner of my screen. I think I mentioned an 11:11 sighting before- I believe it means the Universe or somebody out there is winking at you.  So, because I’m not a fantastic winker, I just returned the wink with, “I miss you O’Neil.”  Thought I’d try and take a screenshot of the time, because I’m sentimental about 11:11s and all, and in my mind I thought- bet that :12’s gonna pop up when I move the mouse to capture that section of the screen.  After I lowered my eyes as my finger pushed down the shift key, I smiled when I glanced back after that second- sure enough the moment was over.  It was 11:12PM.

And after I finish this episode of the West Wing, it’ll be July 5th, and it’ll be two years and a day. Maybe I’ll come back to this post later, but for now I thought I’d let you know that my internet access is back and that I hope yours was a good July 4th :]

Love, love, love,

Mo

My new home

I am living in the most beautiful old abode, “Gatehouse” as its called, attached to the farmhouse. It is a little dusty (there is a family of spiders living in one of the corners of my room, but I’m just letting them be, at least for now) but otherwise very homey, and I have a spacious room with the most amazing view overlooking pasture. Each night I get to watch the sunset (that’s usually when I go to sleep…) and say goodnight to the sheep and the cows out there.

my room…a little messy

the view overlooking pasture

A wise teacher of Morgan and mine recently told us some good advice, which is to hang things on your walls whenever you’re in a new place, as it will make it feel more like home. So the first night I was here, feeling a bit uncomfortable in my new surroundings, I tacked a bunch of photos up (see above, right next to my bed), and it definitely helped. I love this place already.

Peace, Drew

The Maine List

Lists. To do lists, places to go lists, things to see/read/learn. Basically any thing you can put into a list I put.into.a.LIST. Why? Because they are great and fun and you can cross things off which is by far the BEST part of creating any list. Also, is it just me or does creating a list feel like accomplishing something in itself?

So update: I’m in Maine, working at a wonderful, wonderful farm, and that long preamble about lists was all to say I made an awesome list for things I want to do while I’m here, and it’s a little silly but I thought I’d share and perhaps inspire you readers (the oh so many of you) to make your own lists. So here it is:

Peace,
Drew

Weird to use parentheses in texts? This blogger thinks no.

But check out this recent text conversation I had with a friend:

Haters be hatin’ I guess. Huh, also just realized I never replied to his last text…how hypocritical of me…oh well!

Over and out,

Drew